Tales of the Traveling Tote, Hello September!
Hello, and Happy September!
September 1 means it’s time for another segment
of Tales of the Traveling Tote and a giveaway!
We are 10 ladies who have a passion for MacKenzie-Childs
and all have the same Courtly Check tote
Every 3 months we share where our totes have been
and give away an item from MacKenzie-Childs
I am hosting the giveaway this month
so be sure to leave me a comment at the end
of the post to enter to win your own Traveling Tote bag!
Get the links to all of the Tales of the Traveling Totes
at the end of the post
My travels this summer have been my usual~
back and forthing between “the city”
{I live in a suburb of Birmingham}
and our beach house in Orange Beach Alabama
It’s a beautiful place!
Let me take you on a little aerial tour~
The Perdido Pass bridge in the foreground connects
Alabama to Perdido Key which is partly in Alabama and partly in Florida
Ono island, a private residential island parallel to Perdido Key,
is my destination
It is accessed by another bridge from Perdido Key
On the way you will pass Alabama Point
And Shell Beach where the sand on the beach
is as fine and as white as sugar
My totes, MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check,
Miss Coquille
and MacKenzie-Childs custom made Serendipity tote,
Hello Gorgeous
carry my most important things~
my lap top, my kindle, my current needlepoint
or crochet project, and a sketch book with pens
The Serendipity Totes were a gift from MacKenzie-Childs
in January of 2020
Each of the Traveling Tote gals received a different tote,
handmade especially for us, no two are alike!
We were beyond thrilled to receive them!!
Welcome to Club Meon, our home away from home happy place
Most of the time you’ll find me on the porch
enjoying the breeze and reading, sketching,
painting or stitching
There is always something floating by to keep me entertained!
The Flora-Bama is a famous beach bar
located about a mile east of our house
It sits right on the state line
between Alabama and the Florida panhandle
Boating is a favorite pastime
One day we saw a beautiful rainbow
MacKenzie-Childs launched a new design, Leopard, earlier this summer
I couldn’t wait to try a knock-off!
You can see the tutorial for this bottle here
I have been in the city most of late July and August,
except for a weekend trip back to the beach with friends…
I have been helping chauffeur the grands around
to their various day camps and activities so their parents could work
I’ve also been starting to transition to Fall with sunflowers
And a few pumpkins
You can see this table next week on the
Welcome Fall Tablescape Hop
I was surprised when I popped into one of my favorite stores
last week and was greeted with ghosts and goblins
and turkeys!
They have some really cute MacKenzie-Childs knockoffs~
I bought 3 black and white ceramic pumpkins last year
I am actually heading back to the coast today,
for the Labor Day holiday weekend
with my children and grands
It’s always a wild and crazy time!
They have so much fun in the pool,
and over the 4th
they were swimming with fireworks!
After Labor Day, my totes & I will be heading back to the city
For Fall and football!
You can see all the adventures of the Traveling Totes
on the links below
and don’t forget to leave me a comment
for a chance to win the giveaway!
Winner will be announced on Sunday Sept. 11
Patti, Miss Kenzie and Miss Tizzy @ Pandora’s Box
Deb, Miss Aurora and Miss Tassie @ Mountain Breaths
Emily, Miss Courtney Childs and Miss Lulu @ The French Hutch
Jenna, Miss Coquille and Hello Gorgeous @The Painted Apron
Linda, Miss Lola and Miss Gigi @ Life and Linda
Rita, Miss Luna and Miss Penny C @ Panoply
Sarah, Miss Merri Mac and Miss Poppy @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Jackie, Miss Madi K and Miss Pansy @ Purple Chocolat Home
Ricki Jill, Countess De Monet, Miss Square Peggy @ The Sketchy Reader
Cherry Kay, Carrie Ann Hall and Miss Waverly @ Entertaining Women
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Sundays on Silverado/ Love Your Creativity
What’s for Dinner/ Between Naps on the Porch
All About Home/ Common Ground & Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Oh My Heartsie Girl / Turn About Tuesday
Karin’s Cottage Linky Party / Creative Crafts / Crafty Creators
Full Plate Thursday/ Creatively Crafty/ Thursday Favorite Things
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Love the idea of the traveling tote! It would go with me to the lake, the farm, to waiting for and picking up grandkids, to giving rides and waiting for friends, to the nursing home bringing items to my dad, to carrying surprises and treats for family and friends! The list is endless! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful tote and ideas!
Thank you Karen, a good tote is very handy for sure!
If anyone deserves a custom made McKenzie Childs Tote it is you Jenna. You use their patterns so creatively.
thank you so much Bernadette 💕
I can see why your beach getaway is your happy place Jenna. What a wonderful spot to sit, read, paint or stitch, especially with a nonstop boat parade out your backdoor! The aerial shots are beautiful with the blue/green water and sky views. I just heard of Shell Beach from Bonnie at LWT this week. Love all the Halloween goodies, especially those Cheshire-grinning black cats at your favorite store. Happy September ♥
Thank you Mary~ can you believe that is the gift section of a small grocery store? They have the CUTEST seasonal decor and gifts!
Love the traveling totes adventures!
What a wonderful getaway place on the beach, I can just imagine y’all get recharged while there! Happy travels!
Thank you Karen!
love to do your watercolor and love traveling totes
Thank you Jill!
Looks like such a fun time was had and YES, give me all of the Fall! I need to get the rest of my decor up. Thanks for a fun giveaway!
Thanks for entering!
We’re heading down to beautiful Gulf Shores next week! Have never been this time of year and hoping it’s a little quieter 😁. Love the MC frog on the table! Is it a faux that you did?
Oh good! Yes, it will be much quieter, this is a perfect time of year to be on the Gulf coast, I hope you have a wonderful time! Yes, the frog came from Hobby Lobby and I painted him to look like the MC Fergal 🙂
Thanks for the beautiful pics of fun!! Especially the beach. Looks like you had a lovely summer.
Thank you CC
Your pics are beautiful! Love the MC look in your displays. Thanks so much for sharing! Happy Labor Day!!
Thank you Julee, Happy Labor Day~
wow What a beautiful place to spend the summer time with the family!
Thank you Angie 🙂
I’ve been fortunate enough to join you at Club Meon and can say I wish I were there right now! It truly is a place of peace and beauty. Enjoy the last few days of summer!
Thanks Leslie Anne and you are welcome any time!
Jenna, the aerial views of our beautiful Alabama Coast are gorgeous. Club Meon is definitely paradise, a place for your family to gather for fun in the sun, fabulous food, and to make precious memories. The hubby and I are thinking we might make an October visit to Orange Beach. Happy September!
October is the perfect month to visit the Gulf coast, fabulous weather and no crowds! Thank you Pam!
Lovely post…such pretty pictures. I was “encouraged” to purchase the original traveling tote by Debbie of Mountain Breaths…. It is possibly one of my favoritee Mackenzie pieces…I don’t have a blog, but do join all of you on the 15th on Instagram for when’re my tote has been. Keep up the great posts…always enjoy them
Hi Tami, so glad you’re having fun with us on the 15th each month!
Whoops. Don’t know how it went thru as anonymous 🙄
Hi Tami! I’m so happy you love your original traveling tote! Thanks for joining us on the 15th on IG.
Such lovely images!
Thank you Dorothy 🙂
You are so fortunate to have such a fabulous getaway to enjoy with the family! I love to see all of your adventures with or without your TT! The fall decor is also out here in all the stores and yesterday I saw Christmas items!!! Time flies by too quickly! Enjoy your fall
Christmas, yikes! Yes Fall and the holidays are approaching very fast! Thanks so much Patti~
Such a busy Summer and a beautiful beach to enjoy with Family and Friends. Great shot of the rainbow over the water. The traveling tote was very busy the past three months. Looking forward to your Fall tablescape.
Lynne
Thank you Lynne, and I will see you at the hop next week!
What a wonderful time at the beach! Your pictures were beautiful and I’m sure great memories were made. I look forward to a beach vacation this fall.
Thanks so much Erline!
Love your beach house & the sugar white sand! Born in Fla., I know what beautiful sand & water is, and it looks like you have both! Looking forward to your future adventures!
hi Charlotte, thank you, so nice to hear from you!
LOVE reading your blog. It always makes me kind of feeling like your next door neighbor since I live in south Mississippi and visit OB area so often. Looking forward to all of the fall posts !
Oh hi neighbor! Thanks so much for visiting and commenting Wanda!
Especially enjoyed the pics of the Halloween displays! How wonderful to have a personalized MC tote! Happy Fall y’all!
Thanks so much Heidi!
Love everything about this post. The ladies and their love of McKenzie Childs, the places that they travel to, and so enjoy all the sharing.
Thank you.
Thanks so much Chris!
Daily enjoy your posts! Beautiful displays and wonderful decorating ideas! Thanks for sharing your ideas with us everyday!! Totes are so pretty!
Thanks so much Vicki!
I love the aerial view of the gulf coast Jenna. I know it well, grew up vacationing there. You and your totes have fun there and it’s extra special when the family comes. Looks like great shopping fun for fall holidays, all the ghosts are so cute. Great knock-off of the Leopard vase. Happy September Jenna…….Roll Tide!
Thanks so much Emily! I hope you and Jim have a wonderful Labor Day weekend and have fun watching the Tide Roll!
Love your blog!💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻
Thank you Donna!
Jenna, it’s always fun to live vicariously through your wonderful beach stays. How fun that you have this lovely place to entertain your children and grandchildren. Very special! Just yesterday, a longtime close friend stopped by to visit. She told me her son and DIL just bought a home on Orange Beach. Exciting!
Like you, I find my Serendipity bag just perfect! We are so fortunate to have these one of a kind bags. Thank you, MacKenzie-Childs!!!
Enjoy the Labor Day weekend! I look forward to seeing photo shares of your time together.
Oh, and I’m smitten with that grinning black cat you spied at your favorite store.
Oh goodness Sarah, how exciting that you have a tie to Orange Beach! It is such a special and beautiful place. That store with the black cat is actually a grocery store, and they have the most fabulous displays and temptations, and do such a great job with seasonal change ups and themes. They have gorgeous flowers too, I go there at least once a week. Yes, I adore my Serendipity bag, so incredibly special!!
Jenna, Love those aerial views, your Leopard knock off, the cute little Flora Bama bar, your Serendipity bag, and the gorgeous rainbow!
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend with all the family!
Great giveaway, but I need to pass since I have won before. Bonnie
I can’t remember my WP password so hope this goes.
hi Bonnie, thank you so much, we do love it here 🙂 I don’t know what’s going on with WordPress, they are working on fixing the glitch…Have a wonderful Labor Day!
Beautiful aerial views Jenna. You are very fortunate to have a lovely beach getaway. Enjoying life there with your family is so precious. How fun to see the Halloween decor. I need a store like that here. Great job on the leopard knock-off. I am looking forward to the fall blog hop. Happy September. Have a lovely time with family.
Thanks so much Linda! I didn’t like the MC leopard pieces when I first saw them, but I’m loving them now and LOVED your leopard mugs in your jungle tablescape! Happy September~
Wow, Jenna, I didn’t realize just how privately secluded your beach residence is – fantastic! Tonight is WV’s backyard brawl with our more than 100 yr old rival – Pitt! We haven’t rivaled each other for 11 yrs, so this is a big one – coal miners vs. steel workers! Have a safe and fabulous weekend at the beach, and I can’t wait to see what inspires you, both art and food!
Thank you Rita, on busy weekends like this we just stay secluded on our private island and just enjoy!! Yay for good old fashioned rivalries and football season!
Love hearing of your travels! Would be tickled pink to have a tote to accompany me on mine!!
Thanks so much for stopping by and good luck!
What a wonderful getaway place! Beautiful views, water, and your family this weekend! Have a spectacular time! Thanks for the giveaway!
Thank you Donna!
Jenna I know you enjoy your beach retreats and grands…what fun. The aerial pics are beautiful…too bad we live a lot further south or we could have been seen in those shots! LOL we do love SW Florida. You have the most perfect get-a-way for complete relaxation on your deck as well as watching the “traffic” go by. Happy September my friend
Kari
Thanks so much Kari, I wish we lived closer to each other!
I really liked seeing your ways of traveling to your happy beach place, Jenna. You’ll have a wonderful time this weekend with the lady hurrah of summertime with your family. Thank for the opportunity to win the tote. Happy September!
Thanks so much Kitty! I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day weekend too!
Wow – that’s so sweet that MC made you each a tote of your own! Yours is so pretty! Thanks for the little vicarious beach vacation. It looks like a lovely spot. 😊 Take care and Happy September!
Thank you Barbara, yes we were thrilled to receive such an incredible gift! Thanks for your visit and Happy September!
I love your totes and your “knock offs” too! Looks like you had a fun summer😊
Thank you!
Love this post with the aerial view Jenna. I know how much you enjoy having a beach getaway. Love seeing the Halloween decor. Great job on the leopard knock-off. Happy Labor Day Weekend. Have a lovely time with your family.
Thanks Deb, have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!
Ooops! Not really anonymous!
I enjoy your travels between your home and your beach home. You have to be at the top of the list for grandmothers as you are always preparing fun meals and providing fun opportunities for your family. Keeping my fingers crossed for no hurricanes for the season!
Oh, thank you Ann and especially thank you for the crossed fingers for hurricane season…it’s been nice and quiet so far!
That white sand is so stunning. I keep telling Hubby we need to go to Florida and enjoy that. I want to do the Keys someday. Looks like several are having problems with being anonymous. I can’t get through- this is Jackie at Purple chocolat Home. I could sit and watch boats any day. I love your place and how much you get to enjoy it.
thanks so much Jackie! You need to plan a trip to the Keys, fly to Miami and then drive down the Keys to Key West, such a cool and fun place! Go in January and enjoy warm weather while it’s snowing in Utah!
The bag is good for travelling and shopping too.
Marion
Thanks so much Marion! Yes, a good tote is so handy!
Jenna,
So LOVED the aerial shots–simply beautiful. I do envy your “Double Life” that includes beach time and time at your home base station. The beach is magical and I know your family must have so many memories from the years spent there. Love to you and your family for the holiday–live it up and be sure to share those photos.
Georgia Gal
hi Shelia, and ha ha, yes I guess I do have a double life! I often wake up and have to think to remember where I am 😂 I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day weekend and Go Dawgs!
Hey Georgia Gal, you WON! You won the giveaway! Please email me your mailing address so we can send the gift to you!
I like your post about Stowe, Vermont. Planning a trip there in October and need some input on the best places to go around there. Also love the bag and how it goes with you EVERYWHERE1
What a perfect companion for your trips to your beautiful beachy house! Those aerials are just fabulous — what great views and it’s so lovely! Happy Tote Day!
Thanks so much Jeanie, have a great weekend!
Jenna, we spent many many years at our lake home on Grand Lake. I know how much you cherish your time at Club Meon. I used to be a rabid, not avid needlepointer. I still have a huge stash of canvases, and I think I’m going to take it up again. I love to needlepoint. For a season of my life I was a custom needlepoint canvas artist. I really enjoyed creating designs for people. I always had to last because the moment someone began to paint one of my stitch painted canvases, my work began to disappear. I painted by commission, so I never had anything to show of my work other than photos. I also often carry around an artist pad with pencils or pens. I’m a renderer, and I have been since I was a little girl. I think we might have a ton of fun together! CherryKay
laugh, not last. Geez!
Thanks Cherry Kay! I know lake life is just as wonderful, water views really soothe the soul! It wasn’t long after I started needlepointing that I began to design and paint my own canvases too, they are so pricey! I love to stitch my own designs as it feels like another form of painting to me. Good for you for selling yours and I had to laugh at your comment about once stitching began your work disappeared 😂
There are few things I like better than a pretty beach. The photos are beautiful.
Thank you Leslie, it’s hard to beat a pretty view of water and the beach!
Your traveling tote does get around. What your get away place does for you happens for me in Maine.
Yes, aren’t we lucky to live in 2 different worlds!
Thank you for sharing the aerial views; I am so unfamiliar with that area. The closest I have been is Pensacola when my oldest brother was stationed there many years ago. You and your totes have been very busy. How nice for both you and your grandchildren that you make yourself available to chauffeur and thus be even more involved in their busy lives. Happy September!
Thank you Linda, it really is a beautiful area and my grandchildren love it as much as we do. It has been a pleasure to help out with them this summer. Happy September!
Thanks for sharing the views. What a beautiful place to have a 2nd home or a 1st one for that matter. Happy fall and football season.
Thank you Annie!
It sounds like you’ve had a nice summer Jenna. I enjoyed looking at the photos and hearing about all that you’ve done. Your bags are so pretty and happy September Jenna. Enjoy the long weekend.
Thanks so much Julie! Hard to believe it’s September!
I almost missed this post! Yikes!
What beautiful totes you have and what a lovely place you have on the Alabama Coast! Your kids and grands have to be in heaven when they gather there.
I sure do enjoy the Traveling Totes Adventures!
The Giveaway tote is gorgeous!
Happy Labor Day Weekend!
Thank you Nancy! Hope you’re having a great Labor Day weekend!